Château Marquis d’Alesme: The Dissolution
Comte Emmanuel du Bourg du Bazas subsequently sold the vineyards of Château d’Alesme-Becker, as it was still known, to W. H. Chaplin & Co., from Glasgow, a firm which had already acquired Château Malescot St-Exupéry. Presumably, given that the vineyards and château were divorced from one another, and that the latter today sits within the grounds of Château Lascombes, Emmanuel held onto the little château. In truth therefore Château d’Alesme-Becker effectively disappeared, its château (pictured) now serving as offices in the grounds of Château Lascombes, its vineyards absorbed into those of Château Malescot St-Exupéry.
This situation persisted for several decades. In the meantime the Zuger family arrived on the scene, their first acquisition being the purchase of what remained of the Château Desmirail estate – which was a rather grand château (pictured on the preceding page) and about 4 hectares of vines – from its owner Martial Michel. He had already sold most of the vineyards to the owners of Château Palmer. This was in 1938, the buyers being Paul Zuger (died 1981) and his father-in-law Edmund Ritz (died 1943). They christened this huge château with its micro-vineyard Château Ritz-Desmirail. There was active viticulture, the estate recording an annual output of about 20 tonneaux (so about 80 barrels) of wine each year, although what was produced was sold in bulk to négociants rather than under the name of the estate.
